Now...the first issue is...my wife wants to prime them prior to installation. The cedar institute recommends that the wood (WRC) be "acclimatized" first...which I think means installed & sitting for a while prior to priming.

The second issue is what type of primer to apply. The entire rest of the house is 1" X 6" beveled cedar clapboard; & two years ago, the local lumber yard recommended MAB Seashore oil base primer. I started priming...& the primer was so thick it was like trying to paint a fence w/ crude oil...it felt like this heavy mass was just riding over the surface of the wood. So I cut it moderately thin with mineral spirits; & it seemed to soak in & stick. I covered it w/ a latex exterior.

A year later, the paint was peeling off in fairly large areas.

So...what should I do:

A) Should we prime them (the cedar brackets) first & then install?

B) Should I forget alkyd base primer & use water base primer...so that if I have to cut it to get a nice, even flowing application, I'll be cutting it w/ water, which will be safer than cutting oil base w/ turpentine?

C) Is there any kind of primer on the market that goes on even & soaks into the wood?

D) Should I let my wife hit them once with Woodlife or Thompson's Water Seal; & is that acceptable w/ cedar.

"D) Should I let my wife hit them once with Woodlife or Thompson's Water Seal; & is that acceptable w/ cedar."

For exterior wood the US Forest Products Lab suggests first a PAINTABLE, PROCTECTANT, WATER REPLENT. And then a primer.

I don't think that the Thompsons is either paintable or a protectant (anti-fungal and insect). Don't know about the Woodlife. But if you use a product that is not paintable then you will have real problems. Some of the Jasco products have all 3 properties.

But you really don't need that for cedar anyway.

What I would do is go to a RPS (Real Paint Store) such as Benny Moore, or Sherwin Williams and ask for primers that are specified for use on cedar. Read the labels.

cedar sidingWe have just finalised an offer on a house wich...3 REPLIES